Coming soon: 13 movies to watch in 2013

The signs are everywhere. And so are the coming-soon trailers. Hollywood has a whole new slate of movies sliding down the pipeline for 2013. So providing we all survive Mayan Armageddon, and our modern movie monuments remain intact, now is the time to start mapping out your next visits to the multiplex with a glimpse into the future, and 13 films to look out for.

1. Oz: The Great and Powerful – You’ve probably seen the trailers already, with James Franco staring almost vacantly into a funnel cloud and landing smack dab in the middle of Oz. It’s been many generations since anyone had the guts to plunder the legacy of a classic that still holds the screen, but there’s something about this Sam Raimi movie that tweaks the imagination because it gives us the backstory of the Wizard, and the man behind the curtain. With Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz as co-stars, it’s hard to imagine this one going the way of The Hobbit.

2. World War Z – OK, the plot sounds completely deja-vu, but when you make Brad Pitt the man standing between a zombie plague and the survival of the human race, things get a lot more interesting. Based on the bestselling book by Max Brooks, son of Mel, this science-fiction story takes a straight-up approach to viral apocalypse and the walking dead. Pitt works for the UN, but normal diplomacy just doesn’t work when you’re dealing with brain eaters instead of mind muddlers. He needs to find another way. And with Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction) at the helm, novelty is never a worry.

3. Gatsby – Or the Great Gatsby, if you’re a traditionalist. Either way, this movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan as Jay and Daisy is bound to make a dent in the public psyche. These tormented lovers from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s undisputed classic remain as timely as ever, especially now that we’re witnessing the last gasp of private entrepreneurial capitalism and the death of overzealous consumerism. A movie that should shimmy and shake under Baz Luhrmann’s direction, this one seems worth taking out the Stutz Bearcat.

4. Star Trek: Into Darkness – I have no problem admitting that I’m a total Trekkie who used to dream of William Shatner’s gold-ringed sleeves wrapped around my quivering torso. Nor do I feel it’s “TMI” to share my fondness for this new crew of celestial wayfarers and their ability to conjure deep feelings of purpose – thanks in large part to Gene Roddenberry’s brilliantly optimistic view of humanity, but also because they all look mighty fine in those cute Enterprise uniforms.

5. World’s End – Sounds like another apocalyptic action movie, but it’s really another Simon Pegg-Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) collaboration. This one is about five friends who reunite in a bid to retrace the staggered steps of a legendary pub-crawl. At first, it’s a group thing. But they eventually discover the fate of the world rests on their slumping shoulders. Fellow cast include Rosamund Pike, Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman, ensuring there’s more than enough teeth to handle whatever needs chewing.

6. Ender’s Game – Having visited the set for this science-fiction action-adventure about kids who are recruited for acts of war, I’ve been fascinated by the core ideas in Orson Scott Card’s original series of books. With screenwriter Roberto Orci (Transformers) producing, there’s a good chance the movie will be smart and original. And with the same team that choreographed the zero-G scenes in Avatar using their talents here, the whole package feels undeniably promising — and just a little eerie.

7. Labor Day – Based on Joyce Maynard’s novel, this new film from Jason Reitman tells the story of a downtrodden single mom who makes the mistake of offering a stranger a ride. When it turns out he’s an escaped convict, things get a little darker than our depressive mom could have imagined. With Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin and Tobey Maguire shouldering the heavy load, this one might work so well, it’ll make you take a holiday.

8. Lamb of God – Though it’s still referred to as Untitled Diablo Cody Project by many, and may come out with a different title altogether, this will mark the second directorial effort from the screenwriter behind Juno. This one deals with religion, which may explain the murky details. All we know is it stars Julianne Hough, Holly Hunter, Russell Brand and Nick Offerman — which is quite an explosive potion before you even factor in Cody’s unique lens on life, the female experience and faith.

9. The Delivery Man – We’ve seen lots of French movies remade in English. But we’ve never actually seen a French-Canadian movie made by Hollywood. This one is a remake of Starbuck, the mega-grossing blockbuster from Ken Scott starring Patrick Huard as a sperm donor who meets his many, many, many children. With Vince Vaughn as the oblivious patriarch, this could mark the beginning of a whole new English-French friendship.

10. An Enemy – Since we’re on the subject of crossover hits from Quebec, who isn’t curious to see what Incendies director Denis Villeneuve will do with his big-budget adaptation of Jose Saramago’s novel about a man who sees his doppelganger in a movie theatre. Jake Gyllenhaal stars while red-blooded Canadians such as Sarah Gadon fill out the cast alongside Isabella Rossellini.

11. A Good Day to Die Hard – Is this the end of John McClane? Whether we want to admit it or not, there’s something rather sweet and cuddly about this action franchise that launched Alan Rickman’s career. Bruce Willis is fun to watch as the supercop who saves his family — and the day — and the world, time after time.

12. Man of Steel – Yeah. It’s been done before. But Superman is worth rebirthing when the time demands a hero, and who doesn’t need someone who is strong, fast and fresh from the fight? This one even has Jesus — or the man who played Jesus, Henry Cavill — starring as the man of steel. Zack Snyder (300) directs this manly spectacle that also stars Amy Adams and Russell Crowe, and frankly, that’s enough to deflect off any beams of pre-releasea Kino kryptonite, or mentions of Suckerpunch.

13. Devil’s Knot – Not to be confused with the documentaries West of Memphis or Paradise Lost, this is a fictional feature film about a group of teenagers accused of killing children as part of a satanic ritual. That may not sound like something to look forward to in 2013, but consider this: It stars Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon, with Atom Egoyan directing. Now, if that’s not a knot worth tying, no engagement is.